Adolescent volunteerism in Hong Kong after 1997: A critical review

Adolescent volunteerism is an integral part of positive youth development. Since the reunification of Hong Kong to the PRC in 1997, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been promoting adolescent volunteerism actively. In this review, both government agencies heavily involved in the volunteerism movement and non-governmental organizations providing volunteer services are discussed. The profiles and characteristics of adolescent volunteerism in the local contexts are also examined. The present review identified several problems in adolescent volunteerism in Hong Kong, including service overlap and neglect, truncated service provision among agencies and poor coordination, inflexible resource allocation, lack of long-term planning and lack of evidence-based practice for adolescent volunteerism.